ACM Awards

The scene on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas is always a party. But the stops really got pulled out during the first of two free country music concerts Friday night. The drinks weren’t free, but the music was, and everyone there was having a blast.

Two stages were set up right on Fremont Street right under the famous light-show canopy. Flanked on all sides by the flashing neon signs of famous downtown casinos like 4 Queens and Binion’s, artists Love and Theft, Hunter Hayes, Brantley Gilbert, Scotty McCreery, and Luke Bryan made some serious noise. And the crowd ate it right up.

“Any rednecks in the house?” shouted Gilbert from the Third Street stage, before launching into his 2010 single, “Kick It in the Sticks.” Like a lot of his songs, it’s a good-time Southern-rocking tune that would make the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd or Charlie Daniels proud. And Gilbert, dressed in ripped jeans, baseball cap, and a T-shirt that read “Sin City Sinners,” proved he had the wild energy and hillbilly swagger to really key into that backwoods-party mood and get the crowd fired up.

“Ya’ll know about them dirt roads?” the ACM New Artist Of The Year nominee asked at another point, then launched into another of his hits, “Dirt Road Anthem” (a song he cowrote with Colt Ford).

The band included two guitarists who weren’t afraid to jump up on the monitors when duty called; a bass player with an array of flashy axes; and a drummer sporting a blonde mohawk. They rode hard and kept Gilbert and his songs on that rough, red-dirt line where hard country and rock ‘n roll meet, crack a few beers, and stay up all night.

Scotty McCreery at Fremont Street (Kurt Wolff/CBS Local)

Fellow ACM New Artist of the Year nominee Scotty McCreery played the First Street Stage, but you could hear the screams of his female fans blocks away. For having such a boyish appearance (he is still only 19 after all), the American Idol winner has an impressively deep and robust voice, and live on stage he can really belt it out. His set included some vintage country and rock classics, such high energy versions of the old-time gem “Man of Constant Sorrow” and Elvis Presley’s famous first single, “That’s All Right.”

These were mixed in with ballads like his 2011 single “The Trouble With Girls,” which had the ladies up in arms (literally, arms were waving from balconies and throughout the jam-packed streets).

Luke Bryan at Fremont Street (Kurt Wolff/CBS Local)

Back on Third Street, Friday headliner Luke Bryan hit the stage about 11pm with in jeans, black ballcap, big smile, and an energy level that kept him bouncing back-and-forth across the stage all night. He and his five-piece band (which including a fiddle and a green electric banjo) jumped immediately into some of his best-known songs, kicking out great versions of hits like “Rain Is a Good Thing” and his newest single, “Drunk on You.”

The crowd was singing along to every word, too — even the 5-year-old on her father’s shoulders knew every word and wasn’t shy about belting it out.

Photo Gallery: Victims

Theater Shooting Timeline

July 20, 2012 – A person wearing a mask hurls a gas canister and begins firing into a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora. A total of 12 are killed and dozens injured. James Holmes is arrested behind the Century 16 theater, standing quietly next to his car.

July 23, 2012 – With his hair dyed a blazing reddish-orange, Holmes appears in court for the first time.

Sept. 22, 2012 – The first civil suits by victims filed against Cinemark, owner of Century 16. They claim lack of security contributed to the shooting.

Oct. 11, 2012 – Prosecutors finalize the charges against Holmes: 24 counts of murder and 140 counts of attempted murder, two counts for each victim. He’s also charged with one count of possession of explosives and one of committing a crime of violence.

Nov. 13 or 15, 2012 – Holmes is taken to a hospital psychiatric ward because he is considered a danger to himself, his lawyers say. They later reveal Holmes was hospitalized a second time for “potential self-inflicted head injuries.”

Dec. 19, 2014 – Holmes’ parents send The Denver Post a letter publicly asking that their son’s life be spared, saying he is severely mentally ill.

Jan. 20, 2015 – Jury selection begins.

April 14, 2015 – Nineteen women and nine men seated to serve as jurors and alternates for trial.

April 27, 2015 – Opening statements delivered.

April 28, 2015 – Testimony begins in the trial. The trial is expected to last for approximately five months but could be shorter.

June 9, 2015 – Three jurors are dismissed from the trial for juror misconduct after one juror admitted she had heard about the trial from her husband who mentioned something he saw on Facebook. The two other jurors heard the woman talking about it.

June 15, 2015 –A fourth juror was dismissed from the trial because the judge didn’t think she was being honest with him when she told him a family member had a tragic accident. Her story then changed when she then told the judge her brother-in-law was shot during a robbery attempt at an ATM.

June 17, 2015 – A fifth juror was dismissed from the trial because the judge said the juror didn’t reveal all the facts when she said she recognized a witness who testified in May. Judge Carlos A. Samour said he didn’t dismiss her earlier because he didn’t have all the information.